Resources 2024 Highlights
New to this year’s distributions and workshops and now posting for the CCGA Facebook page are two volunteers in Resources and Distribution. Welcome, Eve Venable, who joined CCGA as one of its most creative and active members. Also welcome to Deb Jensen who is a most welcome contributor to CCGA’s Facebook page.
The Resources and Distributions team produced a high volume of plants for distribution to gardens and created new and interesting workshops and this is all done with volunteers!
The season began in February 2024 with Eve leading a growing luffa workshop alongside Carolina Ara’s tips and demo on Growing Sprouts Indoors. Shayna Wildermuth, the Greenhouse and Garden Education Manager of the Conservatory, led a workshop on planting containers for pollinators on Saturday as well. Garfield Park Conservatory hosted the gathering that featured a giveaway of 200 house plants.
A highlight of some of their and 2024 of Resources events follows. March saw a stronger push to support native plants and their beneficial ecological services to insects, bees, and butterflies with a two-part series, Planting for Pollinators; again, hosted by Garfield Park Conservatory.
April saw three more events: Early in the month, a tool sharpening event was held. Another April event saw a distribution for community gardeners of spring annuals such as violas, dianthus at the African Garden. Spring annuals, seed potatoes, tomato starts, herbs, coleus, scented geraniums, seeds, canna bulbs, burlap, and coffee chaff: the CCGA Spring Distribution had something useful for all gardeners.
The month of May saw Resources clearing out their greenhouse for a Mini-Distribution with a range of miscellaneous plants to offer, from tomato and pepper starts to ornamental plant material for containers. There were also dahlias and cannas grown by Resources. Later in May was the big Spring Distribution; it was Big. 5000 plants were seeded and grown by Resources — lots of vegetable plants, an herb and seed table, and enough pollinator-friendly annuals to make a delightful little garden.
Jump to June, and Resources held its First Perennial Distribution with hundreds of gorgeous ornamental annuals donated by Westover Farm and others. There were flats of summer annual flowers and container material as well–and a selection of garden tools. July brought the Second Summer Distribution with over 2500 perennials. And later in the month there was a vegetable give-away — summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and no-heat jalapenos from Nick Michaud at Westover Farm.
There was even a Third Summer Distribution in August with over 200 plants and a generous donation of tools from Home Chef. In September the Fall Distribution offered native plant fans material from perennials (including lots of choice natives) to shrubs. This distribution had something for all and something different –donated tropical plants and lots of bricks and other hardscape materials. Seed garlic and spring bulbs, peat moss and coffee grounds made up the.
CCGA Resources Committee had a good holiday distribution Dec 7, with 40+ community gardens participating. Each received a beautiful bouquet of decorative material, lots of evergreens, and ornamental branches.
Coffee grounds, coffee chaff and burlap were also available. Many thanks to donors The Contained Garden, Green with Ivy, and Nature’s Perspective for their generosity!
With its strong relationships and contacts throughout the growing community, Resources received numerous donations throughout the year that went out to community gardeners.